Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Do you remember a while ago I made a decision to focus on reading more classics this year? Well, I am definitely sticking to it, more or less. I am happy to announce that there are 7 classics of the 28 books I have read as on date. It seems to me that reading them is a lot simpler than reviewing classics.

Classics with little boys in them

This month on review shots I have picked up three classics that have little boys as one of their main characters. So let us get on with it shall we?

This month on #reviewshots I have picked up three #classics that have little boys as one of their main characters. So let us get on with it shall we? #minireviews Click To Tweet

Little Lord Fauntleroy

little boys classics

Author:  Frances Hodgson Burnett 

Genre: Fiction – Children Classics

No. of Pages: 164

This rags to riches children classics revolves around Cedric and his family. His mother and the seven year old Cedric are one of those nice, kind and goody good people who barely make their ends meet in New York City. He is found to the inheritor to earldom in England and his newly found grandfather invites them back home. The grumpy, stubborn Earl already dislikes them even before he meets them.

How the charming boy turns the misanthropic grandfather around forms the rest of the story. I read Little Lord Fauntleroy as a part of the children’s classics challenge and surprisingly have never read it before. 

It is always difficult to review a children’s book given that we are not the target audience. Despite that, I enjoyed this book and it would still be suitable for kids even in the current age. 

Final thought: Clean and charming children’s tale
Recommended to: Children of 4-7 years old. 

Turn of the Screw

little boys classics

Author:  Henry James

Genre: Fiction – Classics Horror

No. of Pages: 131

This is one of the classic horror stories with a twist. When a young governess is given a chance to run a forlorn estate and teach two young and lovely children she decides to do her best. Troubles begin when the young boy is expelled from the school and she starts seeing a shadow man. Smitten by the master of the house and in an attempt to appear competent she decides to solve things by herself.

It appears that there are two dark creatures that want her innocent students and the estate’s haunting past makes it difficult for her to believe it is all her imagination. To make matters worst, the children seem to enjoy these visits and do not seem as innocent as she thought they were. How does she escape the nightmare and does she win in safe keeping the kids form the rest of the story.

I loved the ending that left things for the reader to decide if indeed the haunting was true or it is just an attention seeking behavior of the lonely and lovesick governess. The Turn of the Screw might be tedious read and frankly I was happy that it was a short story, I might have given up if it were any longer.

Final thought: Despite the intriguing story the writing seemed too tedious to enjoy
Recommended to: Classic and horror lovers

The Giver 

little boys classics

Author:  Lois Lowry

Genre: Fiction – Classics, Fantasy

No. of Pages: 204

The Giver is set in a dystopian world where everyone is assigned a job that they are good at when they turn twelve. This perfect world is devoid of colors, emotions and free will. Except for Jonas, who is chosen as the Giver, the receiver of memories – basically the only one who can question anything in the society. 

But when he realizes what people are denied in seeking this apparent utopia, Jonas has a change of mind, He is ready to give up his assigned family and his prestigious role in the society to have a real life. What happens further and did he escape his society forms the rest of the book.

I read The Giver as a part of the Banned book club and I was surprised on why it was banned. While I liked the premise of the book I didn’t end up loving it, like many of my friends did. I understand that this is just the first part of the Giver Quartet and that might be a reason why it was such an underwhelming read for me. 

Final thought: Short novel with bits of sci-fi element to it.
Recommended to: Science fiction lovers 

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Let’s talk

Have you read any of these books? What was the last classic you read recently? Do you push yourself to finish a classic even if you don’t enjoy it? Let us chat.

Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Sunday Musings #50: One With the May’19 Updates

The holy month of Ramadan is coming to an end and that means we have a week long holiday starting today. Initially I had planned to take a trip back home to India during the holidays, but then I almost had a heart attack just seeing the sky rocketed ticket prices. So now I will have to find things to do at home and about.

Not that it is very difficult but the fast approaching summer calls in for a quick holiday as a last hurrah (or not). So we are taking another beach staycation for three days. I will share more details in my next post.

Since this was a sudden plan I am yet to pack and there are a lot of things on my to do list for the day because we are leaving tomorrow at the dawn. So let’s get on with it, okay?

Between the TV marathons and reading eight good books, with occasional beach trips I think my May'19 was more spectacular than I anticipated. #May'19updates #monthlywrapup #SundayPost Click To Tweet

Quick May’19 updates

  • May’19 proved to be a great month in terms of my reading habits and I read about eight books which is like the best in since ages. And unsurprisingly, I read so many good ones at that. 
  • Since we kinda expected the temperature to rise up sooner than it supposed to, we hit the beach more than what we do usually.
  • I think watching the entire Game of Thrones in less than three weeks should count for something right? So ya, I did that!

Between the TV marathon and reading good books, with occasional beach trips I think my May’19 was more spectacular than I would have imagined.

What I read this month:

Since I already screamed out enough about my reading month, shall I get to the books I read directly shall we?

  1. Giver, The Giver, The by Lois Lowry 
  2. Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav 
  3. Kiss Quotient, The by Helen Hoang 
  4. Book Love by Debbie Tung 
  5. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 
  6. Big Four, The by Agatha Christie 
  7. Very Large Expanse of Sea, A by Tahereh Mafi 
  8. Hating Game, The by Sally Thorne

What I watched this month:

Here is a list of movies and TV series I watched in May’19

  • Game of Thrones – yes!
  • What is wrong with Secretary Kim? – Kdrama
  • Lucifer – Season 4 (frankly I am just glad it is done now)

On my blog

While we are here let us take a look at what happened on my blog last week, alright?

We started off with Sunday Musings #49: The Summer Is Coming – Just Dubai Things

May'19

On Monday I reviewed A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

May'19

We discussed Why Are Guest Posts Important To Indie Authors? on Wednesday.

May'19

I had Deeksha answering our questions to help us Getting To Know The Japanese Better on the Flyaway Friday

May'19

I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme

Around the blogosphere

I had a blast catching up with a lot of blogs (finally) last week and here are some of my favorites

From the Insta-world

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May'19

Let us chat

How many of these books have you read? How was your May’19 and what are your plans for the new month? Has the summer reached you and if not, when does that happen?

Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better

Now that I have got you all excited about Japan on our Flyaway Friday feature and showed you some books that might help you with the trip, let us get on to know more about the country. 

Let’s get on with it shall we?

No, don’t worry I, someone who knows almost nothing about the country, am not gonna talk about it. But there is someone who knows Japan more than me and I mind controlled her to answer a few questions about the country.

Before that, let me link to our previous articles on Flyaway Friday right here: Netherlands, France, Finland, Italy and Philippines.  

Say hello to Deeksha!

I am Deeksha. I am 25 years old and am an Indian living in Tokyo, Japan from the past 6 years. My hobbies are reading, drawing and painting, watching TV shows/movies in my free time. I “secretly” love Korean Drama and Candies and a Marvel Fan for life.

I am a newbie blogger, will be live with my blog, tokyobookworm, about books, from the 1st of June.

We have someone who knows #Japan better than me and I mind controlled her to answer a few questions about the country. Let us hear it from The TokyoBookworm Deeksha on #flyawayFriday Click To Tweet

Q: What do you think is exotic about Japan?

A: Japan, also known as Nihon/ Nippon (にほん、日本), literally translates to ‘where the sun originates’. Even though this land of the rising sun is a small Island, has a vast and rich traditional history. From mesmerizing shrines to modern skyscrapers, serene nature to beautiful parks, mountains to beaches, architectural innovations to technology, Japan has it all.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 1 1

The most beautiful thing about Japan is its cherry blossoms, also called Sakura in Japanese. Sakura is a flowering cherry tree which blossoms during the spring season. Sakura trees stretch throughout Japan and blossom collectively, making it look incredibly beautiful. Japan’s Sakura is known throughout, inviting people from all over the world.

During Sakura, the Japanese people have a tradition of having a party beneath the blossoms. This festival is called hanami. People picnic with friends and family BBQ’ing, playing cards and relaxing with a pint of beer.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 2

Sakura is now a popular flavor which is made using sakura petals. Sakura Cakes, Sakura Ice-cream, Sakura Wine, Sakura Cola, Sakura Kit-kat, Sakura Rice-cakes are some of the must-try during this season.

Q: Will you tell us about Japan’s eating habits and Japanese cuisine? 

A: Japanese people are not very big on cooking at home but they are big on food, and they tend to eat out a lot. This could be due to their long office hours(they are known for their hard work and late hours!). ‘Fresh’ readymade food is easily available throughout(at least in big cities).

You would find a variety of packed meals in most convenience stores and supermarkets. These meals are called Bento Boxes. Each bento generally has a single portion of a well-balanced meal. The meal can include rice or noodles, meat or fish with vegetables or fruits on the side. Sea-food in Japan is highly popular with their most famous dish being Sushi.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 3

Some other famous foods from Japan – Ramen, Green Tea, Sticky Rice with Miso Soup, Sashimi, Tempura, Karaage, Kobe beef.

Most street side eating joints are small but plenty in number. In these small eateries, the customers sit beside each other and opposite the chef as they cook the meal. They are catered towards working men/women and their emphasis is on rotating seats as quickly as they can. Generally, you will see long lines outside these places but they move quickly.

Q: Tell us more about a typical day in Japan. 

A: A typical day in working life of Tokyo is similar to any other country. Men and women in suits, standing in line waiting for the train.

I personally travel by bus to my workplace and the only over-the-top thing I‘ve observed is the treatment for physically impaired people, especially the one with wheelchairs. The bus driver himself carries a detachable platform for the person in a wheelchair and assists them to climb and get down from the bus, and of course, they are given the first priority.

Rush-hours at the major stations are pretty crazy, but it is completely organized. You won’t see chaos at the stations but people patiently waiting in queues for the next train. Read more about a #typicalday in #Japan Click To Tweet

Rush-hours at the major stations are pretty crazy, but it is completely organized. Let it be the train delays due to heavy snow or rain, you won’t see chaos at the stations but people patiently waiting in queues for the next train.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 4

Yes, there are random rainy days and that’s why you will find umbrellas being sold at every store. The funny thing about umbrellas in Tokyo is, the people don’t mind stealing or in their words ‘borrowing’ an umbrella that has been abandoned or forgotten.

Japanese people don’t mind ‘borrowing’ an umbrella that has been abandoned or forgotten. Read more interesting facts about #Japan as told by Deeksha on #flyawayFriday Click To Tweet

Battery operated cycles is a big thing in Tokyo, especially among the moms carrying their children (yes, plural!). These cycles are equipped with child-seat called ‘Mama-chaari’ and you will see many homeworker moms carrying their kids on those for a day out.

Almost all the restaurants have a special lunch menu (even TGIF/Hard rock cafe) dedicated to the working class people which costs from $5 – $15.

Smoking is vastly popular in Japan. And I haven’t seen a single country that is so open to people smoking in public places. The situation is definitely improving due to Olympics 2020, by giving the smokers dedicated places / closed rooms in a public space.

The cafes and restaurants generally have a smoking only designated areas, except Starbucks, which prohibits smoking inside.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 5

Smoking is even allowed in the hotel rooms in Japan. When booking a room, you need to be specific if you need a smoking or a non-smoking room (something that you wouldn’t find in most countries).

Q: Can you tell us about some of unique Japanese customs and practices specific to Japan?

A: There are plenty of unique customs in Japan, which will be understood by you only if you’ve lived in Japan for a while. These are some of the fun customs :

  • Putting your pinky up in Japan means “women”, usually referring to someone’s girlfriend/mistress/love. For example, if you ask your friend if he would like to go out for drinks, and he says no and puts his pinky up, it doesn’t mean he wants to pee but that he has plans with his girlfriend.
  • In Japanese high school, if a girl gives a guy she admires gifts to confess her love, the guy accepts it by giving the second button from his school uniform. The second button is the one closest to the heart and hence the button is used as the metaphor.

Q: Tell us about some of the stereotypes about Japan as depicted in the media, books/film, etc that annoy you.

A: The world sees Japan as this technologically super-advanced, anime loving, sushi eating awesome country. Yes, those points are true, but there is more than that to this country. Some of the annoying stereotypes about Japan are :

  • The movies usually show Japanese police to be very passive, which is completely false. They work as hard as any other cops from any other country. Since the crime rate is very low in Japan, thanks to their citizens, the police usually don’t get the credit they deserve.
  • ‘Karate’ was originated in Japan and Kung-fu was originated in China, many people have it otherwise or think Karate was originated from China.
  • Japanese game shows are getting famous for all the right reasons (number 1 being ‘weird’), which is true.
  • ‘Japan is unsafe due to earthquakes’ This is a statement that annoys me the most as it always comes from someone who hasn’t lived in Japan that long or never visited the country. The government has taken so many extra steps to make sure the safety of its people, the civil engineers work hard to create earthquake-proof buildings, mandatory safety drills at schools and offices, etc. are a lot of reasons that show that Japan is not unsafe. Of course, natural disasters cannot be prevented, but Japan is surely always prepared for one.

Q: What are your favorite fictional (bookish or otherwise) characters native to Japan?

Shinchan is my favorite cartoon. They show the daily life of Japan as it is, apart from the weird sense of humor of Shinchan of course. 😛 The house, their lifestyle and the life of his father, being a common Japanese salary-man, is very relatable and very Japanese in a true sense.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 6A

Anime is hugely popular and has its own comic con events all year long. Top anime like DragonBall, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, etc. originated in Japan and are popular worldwide.

Q: Tell us more about Japanese language. Teach us some common words and maybe, a few uncommon ones.

A: National Language of Japan is Japanese ( Nihongo – 日本語, Nihon + go is Japan + Language ). Japanese makes extensive use of Chinese characters, also called kanji (漢字), in its writing system.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 7 1

Along with kanji, the Japanese writing system primarily uses two syllabic (or moraic) scripts, hiragana (ひらがな or 平仮名) and katakana (カタカナ or 片仮名). Latin script is used in a limited fashion, such as for imported acronyms, and the numeral system uses mostly Arabic numerals alongside traditional Chinese numerals.

Some common Japanese words are :

  • Good Morning – Ohaiyo Gozaimasu ( おはようございます )
  • Good Afternoon, Hi – Konnichiwa ( こんにちは )
  • Good Evening – Konbawa ( こんばんは )
  • Thank you – Arigatou Gozaimasu ( ありがとうございます )

Some beautiful Japanese words that don’t have a literal translation in English

いただきます Itadakimasu

“Itadakimasu” means “I humbly accept.” It is used before eating any food to express appreciation and respect for life, nature, the person who prepared the food, the person who served the food, and everything else that is related to eating.

おつかれさま Otsukaresama

Otsukaresama is one of the most common words used all over Japan. The literal translation of the word means “you’re tired”. It is used to let someone know that you recognize his/her hard work and that you are thankful for it.

いっらっしゃいませ Irrashyai-maa-say

Irrashyaimaasay is one of the words that you will hear in each store or restaurants. The owners/workers usually yell it out loud to show their enthusiasm and attention towards you. It translates to, you are welcome to my store/restaurant.

Last but not least,つんどく Tsundoku

Leaving a new book unread after buying it and just letting it pile up with the other unread books in the house.

elgeewrites Flyaway Friday: Getting To Know The Japanese Better Japanese 8A

Thank you, Deeksha!

I am back to thank her for taking time off her busy schedule to write us a guest post. You can follow and contact her through these links. 

Blog | Goodreads| Instagram

If you have something to add to Deeksha’s story, drop a comment here or send her a word of thanks on the social media. Both of us would love that.

Also, Deeksha’s blog TokyoBookworm, will be going live tomorrow, on 1st June 2019 and it would mean a lot to me if you would go give her follow, nudge or a comment to make her feel welcome!

Similar Topics that might interest you

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Let us chat

What are your favorite things about Japan? Is there something that I missed asking our guest? Did you know any of these Japanese phrases earlier? Let us chat.

Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Why are guest posts important to indie authors?

Writing a book is just a part of your job as an indie author. Marketing your indie books is a huge task that begins after you finish your manuscript and get it published. As an indie writer, it is entirely up to you to get the word out there and get everyone to hear about how awesome it is. 

Spreading word through the social media about your book is just breaking the surface. Ask any author and they will tell you it needs more than a couple of tweets and likes.

It is upon us to reach out to the book bloggers and readers community through every open avenue and guest blogging opportunities are just an extra tool to do that. 

What is guest blogging?

I love writing on my blog and when some other blogger offers me a chance to do that on their blog, it is just more than an opportunity to write that I receive. It means the blogger trusts me enough to let me take over their personal space, which is a huge thing for me. 

I am always looking for book sites to guest post, if you are a book blogger looking for a guest blogger, do reach out to me! I recently wrote on Dani’s Perspective of a Writer on Bookstagram and how it affected my reading habits. 

Let us talk about why you, as an indie author should be spending time on writing guest posts on other blogs. #guestposts #indieauthor #indiepromotion Click To Tweet

But that is not what I wanted to talk to you about right now. I want to tell you that I am currently accepting guest posts from indie authors on Elgee Writes. More about that later, but let us talk about why you, as an indie author should be spending time on writing guest posts on other blogs. 

Why are guest posts important to indie authors?

I know how busy all of you are – writing plots, rewriting plots, editing your manuscript, thinking of miserable ways to kill my favorite characters, seeking out publishers, emptying the wine bottle and ordering Chinese takeout – yes yes, important things! 

But I am just trying to make my case on why you should add guest posts on that list of to do things. Here we go!

Putting your name out there!

There is it. I don’t even have to sugar coat this, do I? Every author, indie or otherwise, is looking for new avenues to put their name and their book’s in front of new audience everyday, and guest post in your favorite book blogger’s site or any other book site would do that easily.

I mean a book blogger will definitely share a similar but new audience as you (AKA bookworms AKA your readers) and what better way to put yourself on a blast than to address them via their favorite blogger?

Reviews are not all that you need

Of course book reviews are critical to your sales and marketing. But they are not all, are they?

Even if you can afford to send a free copy to every book blogger you know, there is no guarantee that they are gonna review your book on their site nor that is going be a positive one. 

But you get to control where and when you are gonna write a guest article and you could schedule it to suit your promotional plans. It is even a win-win for you and the book blogger in that way.

Choose what you talk about

That brings us to my next point – you can decide on what you are writing about. 

Initially the book blogger discusses with you on what sorta content they expect from you, but other than they usually do not interfere in your writing process. Depending on the topic you choose, you can be as informal and friendly as you want. 

Many authors I know choose to talk about their books and their characters and some even discuss about their writing craft. It depends entirely on you to write whatever you want to talk about. 

Lead them to your author website

In the age of social media, having an author website is kinda indispensable. It acts as a hub to your online presence and all your social accounts. 

Linking your guest posts to your website and your articles will increase the number of page visits to your site and thus improved online presence. Of course, higher page hits means more revenue, if you are into monetization. 

Pitch in your guest post ideas!

That brings me to the end of the post, almost. As I mentioned earlier, Elgee Writes is currently open for accepting articles from authors, artists and anyone who is related to the self or independent publishing world. If that is you and you are interested to write a guest post on related topics, drop me a message here.

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Let’s chat

Do you do guest articles? What are you favorite sites that accept guest posts from bloggers? If you have any author friends that are looking for sites to contribute, do share this post with them. And as always, let us talk.

Review shots: Little Boys in Classics

Book review: Very Large Expanse of Sea, A

I just realized it has been a while since I reviewed a romance book and I am here today to rectify that situation. I picked up A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi with a similar motive.

That and the fact that about three billion of fellow book bloggers and bookstagrammers decided to fall in love with this book. So let us see how this works out right?

Most fellow book bloggers and bookstagrammers decided to fall in love with this book, so I wanted to test it out. Check how that went for me! #bookReview of A Very Large Expanse of Sea: Click To Tweet

About the book

elgeewrites Book review: Very Large Expanse of Sea, A Very large

Book Name: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Genre: Fiction – Romance, YA

Characters: Shirin, Navid, Ocean James 

Setting: The United States of America

The plot

Set in the year immediately following the 9/11, Shirin is a sixteen year old who got caught among the fear, prejudice and consequent Islamophobia prevalent in the general society in the USA. 

She is used to her father’s frequent job transfers and having to switch schools, meet new people often but she is also used to the cold stares, racists comments and some times even physical violence. She accepts that as a part of her life, a consequence of her religion and her hijab that she choose to wear.  

Shirin didn’t expect anything different at her new school. When her brother Navid decides to start a break dancing troop her life suddenly wasn’t that bad anymore. 

Then she met Ocean James, the school’s golden boy, who wants to befriend her even when she tries to push him away. What was worse is she seems to like him as well. Can these two get a normal high school life when the whole world is spewing hatred at her? Read A Very Large Expanse of Sea to know more. 

My initial thoughts

Once I picked this book, I stayed up to 3 AM to finish it because I didn’t wanna set it down. The cute romance was so adorable that I wanted them to have a positive ending. I hated those who hated them and wanted to harm them. They were so good together, you know? 

I loved Navid, his friends and Shirin’s parents. Seeing an Iranian Muslim family that had to navigate in the post 9/11 USA was heartbreaking and this being an #ownvoice story, made me wonder how many more were still under pressure because of their beliefs and religion. 

But at the end of the day it is a Young Adult romance, diverse representation is only a part of it. So do not pick the book with the hopes of getting more than that. 

Things that worked for me

  • I loved the Romance and the leads were adorable.
  • The representation was on point and the characters were fully developed
  • I heard this is not Tahereh Mafi’s usual style of writing, but I liked it anyway.

Things that didn’t work for me

I loved their parents but they were around for just a few scenes, I wish there were more.

Bottom-line

I loved reading A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. I will continue reading Tahereh Mafi’s other series. If you are looking for a Young Adult romance with a Muslim representation then A Very Large Expanse of Sea should be your pick.

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Let us chat

Have you read this popular YA? Do you read hyped books? What other books do you think has a realistic Muslim representation? Let us talk.